Director Emeka H. Umeasor, takes  a close and personal look at Sins of Rachael. You can find it so in the composition of the shots as they interpret on screen.  The  excessive use of extreme close-ups, and medium close-ups bring even viewers closer to the events and characters on screen. Beautiful shots befitting beautiful story.

Screenwriter Andy Nwakalor weaves a beautiful drama here too for our viewing pleasure. He tells the story of Rachael (Joy Torty), a fountainhead character and a straight faced born-again christian believer, whose father, Chief Nnaji (Jim Lawson Madweke) for his own political ambitions, wants her marry Christopher (Akume Akume). Rachael in turn is in love with a choir boy Sunday (Mike Ezuruonye), from her church. Yet, in obedience to the word of the bible, as thus, “obey thy father’, she asks her suitor Christopher if he could find a place in his heart for Christ in exchange for politics.

Christopher is a born, bred, groomed, nurtured, tutored, carved, and schooled politician (a politician with manaical disposition, though) finds Rachael’s ultimatum impossible. His father could even skin him alive for joining the church. Both Sunday and Christopher jostle for Rachael’s hand in marriage anyway, until Rachael on her way from church choir practice, is raped by Steve (Emeka Ike, the devil worshipper who brutally murders his mother in the Warriors of Satan) and conceives thereon. The story goes into turbo gear.

The household of Chief Nnaji is in disarray by this incident. Rachael’s pregnancy will sure ruin his politics and therefore wants abortion, or she and her mother should leave his household. Both Christopher and Sunday go ballistic in their different ways: Christopher couldn’t stand the thought of that THING  in  Rachael’s stomach. Sunday calls Rachael’s unborn child, ‘bastard’, and doesn’t want to have anything to do with it. Rachael in the middle of this rigmarole, is playing it by the will of God, but no abortion. Her Character, except for frequent outburst in cries, is completely flat and anti-radioactive.

The drama takes yet another turn when Rachael runs into her raper, Steve, and confronts him with the truth. Rachael wants confession and acceptance of God for his evils, so she can forgive him. Steve easily accepts Christ alright, but before Rachael could have his child, Christopher murders him. At his bedside, Rachael witnesses Chief Nnaji (her father) accepts Christ. Christopher enters the same scene, a giant-size cross like a burden of sin, hanging on his neck, obviously a born again christian. Sunday repents and marries Rachael after she put to bed her fatherless baby girl.

The biblical Rachael’s sin, if it could be so called, is when she steals her father Leban’s god as she escapes with her husband Jacob, into Israel. But Andy Nwakalor’s Sins of Rachael cries out loud two philosophical thoughts: Good versus evil. Spiritualism versus existentialism. This script is the writer’s uneqivocal take on Nollywood’s obsession with both political and financial aggrandizement, in disregard for fear of God as Rachael portrays.

This side of the Atlantic (America) we call Sins of Rachael, a beautiful testament to Rowe versus Wade (pro-life versus Pro-choice). Simply put.

Ali Baylay/Publisher

By Oliver O. Mbamara, Esq.

It was reported that Nigerian movies have been banned in Ghana. We have not been able to confirm the position with any of the authorities in Ghana. However, since there is a saying that “in every amount of rumor, there is an atom of truth,” we will leave some reminders for the attention of those who may be concerned.

In the spirit of African development, unity, and brotherhood as we so often profess under such bodies as ECOWAS, African Union, etc., we ought to realize that Governments should encourage the spread of such emerging industries as the film Industry rather than attempt to stifle them. Such a move will only come back to hurt the perpetrators sooner or later. The government agencies involved with films (movies) in African countries should also appreciate the fact that the movie industry could be such powerful instrument for economic sustenance as well as a viable means of exporting our culture to the world.

The industry must be encouraged and not discouraged. Countries should seek ways of working together and helping each other rather than seeing the growth of the film industry in another African country as a threat. Let us reiterate that we have not confirmed this news from any Ghana government official hence we cannot conclude. But assuming this is the truth, this piece must then appeal to the government of Ghana to review its position. It is not necessary for the government of Ghana to ban Nigerian movies when it has not banned movies from western countries. This raises the question; should we always strike against our kind in Africa instead of help one another.

The movie industry is one of the highest revenue earners for the United States of America. The neighboring country of Canada continues to exploit the advantages of their proximity rather than ban American films in Canada. Canada earns a lot of revenue and provides its citizens with numerous employments by encouraging American film companies to come and shoot their movies in Canada. The same applies to Mexico. That is the way it ought to be.

Ghana should seek a way of liaising with Nigeria to gain from the movie industry rather than ban such movies. One would hate to imagine what would be the case if Nigerians now go ahead and ban Kente cloth or such other promising products of Ghana origin? Moves like these could lead to very unexpected consequences. The cycle could be very counterproductive. We are supposed to have an economic union of West African states. We are supposed to have an African union. How can we profess such unions and yet go ahead to ban growing products from member-nations?

Every Government reserves the right to ban movies that they find inappropriate to the indigenous culture or society. That is the reason for censorship boards. However, to ban foreign movies simply because they pose a greater commercial challenge to the local industry is like taking the back door to escape a challenge which will be encountered again at the back-yard. It is our hope that Ghana authorities did not generally ban movies from Nigeria or any other African country simply because such industry in such other country seem to be growing faster than it is in Ghana. If they already did, one hopes that they see reason and redress the situation before the backlashes begin.